When Sofapaka sneezed to give Gor the title;

Martin Luther King Jr. gave a speech where he repeats the phrase; “Had I sneezed, I would have died.” Sofapaka went into their match with Gor Mahia on Wednesday 23^rd October knowing very well that should they sneeze, Gor’s –Giniwasekao (we have taken it) chant would be a reality. They held Gor for 88 minutes, then they sneezed, and Dan Sserunkuma fired in his trademark shot into the roof of the net from Patrick Oboya’s wonder pass.

The main man of the match was Sofapaka’s midfielder Benard Mang’oli and the flop for the day was Gor mahia’s Anthony Akumu. Eric Ochieng’ and Joseph Wanyonyi outplayed their own ‘veteran’ Akumu in the midfield. Eric was winning 50-50 balls and Wanyonyi was supporting attack very well. Johnstone Bagole was good at holding midfielder; in the end Mang’oli bagged man of the match.

Sofapaka played their traditional 4-4-2 with James Situma back in defense from kickoff.  Johnstone Bagole and Benard Mang’oli were in the midfield assisted by Bob Mugalia and Anthony Kimani. Mang’oli faced and outplayed Eric Ochieng’ on the opposite side. Bagole silenced Akumu and Sofapaka kept the Gor fans in the stand on the edge for a better part of the match. This set up worked and Sam Timbe can maintain it.

Gor played a 4-5-1 formation with Serunkuma the lone man upfront assisted by Kevin Omondi and Edwin Lavatsa on the flanks coming in from the midfield. So Gor had an extra man in the midfield and Sofapaka outplayed them in the centre circle. That brings the Akumu factor, playing him in central mid was a mistake. Eric Ochieng’ is better at central midfield; Akumu should have been in front of the defense. This was Gor’s undoing until Akumu went off for Moses Odhiambo in the 86th minute.

Sofapaka’s main undoing was attack. John Baraza and Mustafa Kasolo fired blanks throughout the match. Batoto ba Mungu gave a good account of themselves. Bob Mugalia was having his first start in many days and his lack of fitness was evident. He limped out in the 53^rd minute for the improved Elly Asieche.

Joseph Wanyonyi had a good day but his inexperience was shouting. He is the kind of player you don’t thrust huge responsibilities on at such a time in his career. Gor had a rough time but their defense of Israel Emuge, Mosoti, David Owino and Musa Mohammed stood firm.

In the end, Gor won the match from the bench. If a coach has Patrick Oboya (Lavatsa 68), Moses Odhiambo (Akumu 86) and Paul Kiongera (Omondi 75^th) on the bench, that is manpower. Sofapaka on the other side brought in Elly Asieche (Mugalia 52) and Patrick Kagogo (Kasolo 77). This is when Sofapaka could not hold the sneeze and Gor killed the game.

Apart from that, Gor has a champion’s mentality that combines resilience with character. If there is anything that has given Gor the title this season, it is those two. There has been little or no bad vibe coming in from Gor playing unit. It doesn’t mean they don’t have problems, I heard their training allowances were recently delayed for weeks but they kept their eyes on the ball.

Congratulation to Gor for winning the 2013 title and to Sofapaka for making the victory worth celebrating.

GoTv Shield Semis: Sofapaka ‘pinched’ by Ingwe

Peter ‘pinches’ Opiyo pinched Sofapaka out of the midfield battle to win the ‘man of the match’ award. It was a match that lacked firepower as both sides employed a cautious approach. At some point it looked like a kick around. Sofapaka made two great mistakes and paid by conceding as many goals. One was a goalkeeping blunder and the other leaving Noah Wafula unmarked on the blind side.

I had aluded to the match being a battle between Peter Opiyo and Sofapaka skipper James Situma. In the end Peter Opiyo prevailed because he had good back up in Martin Imbalambala and Paul Were as Mike Baraza got lost in the crowd. Situma on the other hand had the team’s weak link in John Njoroge right in front of him with Anthony Kimani only as his side kick. That simple arithmetic counted for Leopards.

Leopards employed a 4-3-3 formation from the start. Paul Were and Noah Wafula were on both sides of Allan Wanga upfront. The two Sofapaka full backs of Thomas Wanyama and Yusuf Juma did well to stop the two terrorists. In the end Were had to fire in a clever cross from far between Eugene Asike and Felly Mulumba to Wafula on the right to score the second goal as his traditional runs on the flank were halted by Wanyama.

Sofapaka had a 4-4-2 formation with John Baraza and Mustafa Kasolo in the opponent’s box. Their back four played wide in attack forming a wedge into Ingwes box. In defense, the back four would go narrow giving space for Anthony Kimani ‘muki’ and Patrick Kagogo to fall back and cover.

Sofapaka must look for another Humphrey Mieno to go into the ‘hole’ behind the twin strikers. John Njoroge was deployed in that position and ‘his calls went unanswered’ just like Mike Baraza in the opposite side. In the absence of speedy wingers as Juma and Wanyama were kept busy hence overlapped less, an intelligent player is needed at the centre. Situma was left to do everything, from spade work recovery of balls to rushing up to initiate attack; he lost the fight honourably in the end.

Martin Imbalambala with two powerful players on the flanks, Paul Were and Wafula, freed Peter Opiyo to do what he does best, read the game. This worked for Ingwe, as Sofapaka opted for long balls to Baraza and Kasolo who were tightly marked by Saleh and Anthony Kimani ‘modo’ in ingwe defense.

The first goal in the 42^nd minute, Duncan Ochieng’ missed to clear a ball after Bagole had shielded Wanga. Wanga broke loose and tapped it in. This came after Duncan had made some daring saves to deny Leopards’ goals so it was a tot of bad luck.

Sofapaka came in the second half with the intention of hoarding the ball but that did not work. Situma had gone into defense and Bagole replaced him in the midfield with no much effect. Kagogo went out for Elly Asieche in the 47^th minute and went behind the strikers as Njoroge went to the left. This change added little punch upfront to trouble ingwe.

Eugene Asike came in for Kasolo and went into defense to send Situma back into the midfield. Sofapaka now crowded the midfield with five players with only John Baraza upfront. Ingwe responded by Were and Wafula dropping deep to leave Wanga a lone man upfront. Wafula’s 82^nd minute strike killed the match and Sofapaka’s efforts were too little too late.

Sofapaka are good but that could be the enemy of their best. They lack that cutting edge of champions and to wrestle the league title from the jaws of Gor will need extra cat skills. Leopards’ must sharpen their claws if they are to bag the GoTv Shield; their first major silver since 1998. It was a match with ‘little juice’ to write home about.

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GoTv Shield Semis: Sofapaka vs. AFC Leopards’ Preview

This is a James Situma vs. Peter Opiyo battle, whoever wins the fight in the midfield will carry the day. Why do I say this? Watching the two teams in the quarter finals last weekend, these two players were the ‘engine’ – the cog upon which their sides revolved.

Sofapaka and Ingwe both like to use the flanks. The difference is it is full backs that overlap for Sofapaka while Leopards’ has speedy wingers with slow fullbacks. I will wait to see how James Nandwa and Sammy Timbe use their charges to play out in the flanks.

Back to the midfield. Last Sunday Peter Opiyo was with Charles Okwemba, Oscar Kadenge and Martin Imbalambala.  Seda and Paul Were came in the 2^nd half. Situma had Bernard Mang’oli at the centre with John Njoroge and Anthony Kimani on the flanks.  Situma finished the match in the defense, another shot from the hip from Sofapaka.

This should have been a Peter Opiyo vs. Bernard Mang’oli battle as they will be playing similar roles. Their positioning is similar but mentality different. When Ingwe’s defense wins the ball, it lands on Opiyo, but for Sofapaka it goes to Situma who pass it on to Mang’oli or someone else. Hence the term ‘engine.’

Situma is a ball winner, he can tackle hard. Opiyo on the other hand, is good at intercepting than fighting for the ball. This will prove decisive if the match gets thick as I hope it will be. The cover for Opiyo when it comes to tackles is Martin Imbalambala.

On the flipside Opiyo is better at holding the ball than Situma. Situma will win the ball then he must pass it to Mang’oli who is good at holding and passing. Is Opiyo a good passer? A big NO. If there is one area Ingwe’s main man at the centre must improve on is passing accuracy, especially when pressure piles.

I have expanded it to include Martin Imbalambala and Benard Mang’oli. I hope the rule of on-loan players not playing against their ‘parent’ club won’t apply in the GoTv shield, Mang’oli should feature. This is where the match will be won. Sofapaka has a secret weapon in Johnstone Bagole, how Timbe positions him will also count.

Upfront, John Baraza is better than Allan Wanga in terms of the ratio of shots at goal against goals scored. Wanga will work harder than Baraza but in the end Baraza will carry the day. The support strikers in this case may just make the difference.

I expect the flanks to be active especially where speedy Paul Were will be facing Thomas Wanyama. The game changers may come from the bench, but meanwhile, let’s watch the centre. I see a balanced match, but Ingwe have had a better run prior to this match.  I won’t be surprised if it ends up in penalty shootouts.

Let’s meet at Kasarani at 4 PM.

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